


Indispensable

by scarletsptember



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), Teen Wolf (TV), The Dresden Files - All Media Types
Genre: All will be revealed in due time, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Explicit Language, Gen, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Multiple Pairings, Post V-Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4684292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletsptember/pseuds/scarletsptember
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles had been warned about  about what would happen if he made himself indispensable to law enforcement.You get involved for one case; five years down the line you’ll wonder how your name reached across the world. Stiles was too bullheaded to heed the warning. That's probably why he had a Kingsman agent standing in his pitiful excuse of an office trying to talk him into moving halfway across the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Aren't Like the Rest of the World

Harry Dresden had warned Stiles about what would happen if he made himself indispensable to law enforcement. Even if it was _only_ the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Office, Harry had warned him that he’d never get a minute to himself. You get involved for one case; five years down the line you’ll wonder how your name reached across the world. Stiles was too bullheaded to heed the warning. The fucker was probably cackling at the situation Stiles had gotten himself into.

He was swamped with requests from agencies across the globe asking for assistance. Most of the time he sent the information that was needed on to other agents. He even coached them on the proper etiquette needed.  There were a handful of times that he had to actually go out and intervene. When he did more often than not he was met with doubt towards his abilities. Not that it surprised him. Despite getting through college, a master’s degree and a stunningly short career at the Sheriff’s office, he still looked like a twenty year old with a fake ID begging for beer. He wasn’t though. He was twenty-six, thank you very much.

The fact that now he was being requested to fill a permanent position overseas due to a surge in supernatural activity, wasn’t something Stiles expected either. Sure his name was on the tip of everyone’s tongue when it came to the creepy or unspeakable in the states but overseas? His fucking name. Dresden said his name would get him into trouble one day. Well Stiles was thinking that Harry was right. Something didn’t seem entirely right about the request he was getting. It was too good to be true. He should say no on principle alone.

Stiles grumbled as he tossed the old requests littering his inbox bin into the garbage bin as he listened to the man standing before him. He really needed to get a better system going. The tiny room didn’t allow for much creativity. Hell his bedroom back home was bigger than his office.

“Bruv, it ain’t like I believe in werewolves ‘n shit. But what Arthur says goes, so you either come with me nice like or I’ll do it the way I was told to.”

Eyeing the man before him Stiles figured they were around the same age. They definitely weren’t from the same worlds but social class? Eh, Stiles could see it despite the tailored suit, having a name like Eggsy didn’t scream money. Now if he went by Egbert or Eggart or Edgerton then maybe Stiles would have said fuck it. You can’t really say fuck it to someone with a name like Eggsy. Eggsy is a name like Stiles. You have to stick around and see what is going on. It’s bound to be crazy. He could speak from experience.

“Eggsy, sorry Galahad,” Stiles automatically corrected himself before the man before him could. “Why should I believe you traveled across the ocean blue to retain my services? Most people call before giving a stranger a sparkly new home and a job in a top secret organization.”

“Merlin and Arthur don’t do interviews.” Eggsy laughed to himself. “The Kingsman don’t make an offer and get turned down. Like, ever. I’m here to convince you of our need of your ‘expertise’ and get you back home as soon as possible.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “There are a lot of other people you could have gone to for help that have been in this business a lot longer than I have been. Like—“

“If you mention that Dresden bloke one more time…” Eggsy trailed off before he took a deep breath. “Look, Kingsman don’t _just_ need you.”

“Then why are they here offering me a job?” Stiles countered with.

Stiles watched as Eggsy fidgeted before seemingly coming to a decision. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, his vest and then started to work on his shirt. Stiles threw a hand out, “Whoa! Stop! Put your clothes back on”

Stiles paused and thought about what he was saying before he shook his head. “I never thought I would tell a guy like you to keep your clothes on. But here I am, saying these words. Put your clothes back on. Whatever you’re about to show me I don’t want to see. I don’t want to become involved.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes but kept undressing. Once his shirt was discarded he turned so his back was facing Stiles. Stiles’ reaction was immediate. He was up and out of his seat in seconds. He let his fingers trace the dark lines radiating outwards from a dark imprint on Eggsy’s hip. The marks were raised as they moved outwards, like veins on a fist. “Fuck.”

“So you see, it ain’t just the Kingsman that need you, mate.” Eggsy twitched beneath Stiles’ fingers. “I ain’t about to become one of those werewolves like in Wolfman. It ain’t happening.”

Stiles huffed out a laugh before he stepped back to look at Eggsy. “You wouldn’t anyway. They want me permanently?”

“Yeah.”

“Just for you.” Stiles gestured towards the markings on Eggsy’s skin. “I’m not here to cater to some secret agent. I can tell you what you are, how you can manage and be on my way to the next case.”

“Nah,” Eggsy snorted. “If it were just me then I wouldn’t be here. I’d manage. There’s some freaky shit going down back home. Shit we ain’t exactly built to deal with. If Arthur says you can fix that, I believe ‘im. Something is calling supes to us. If a bullet to the head ain’t killing ‘em, then what will?”

“You don’t necessarily have to kill something to subdue a threat.” Stiles pointed out before gesturing to Eggsy that he should redress. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s more to this than you’re telling me. There has to be.”

“Of course there is.” Eggsy rolled his eyes. “You gotta sign the contract before I go blabbing my mouth. I already get in enough trouble with Arthur as it is. I don’t need to go asking for more.”

“You either tell me now or you go home.” Stiles demanded. “If I’m going to be traveling and working with you, you tell me what is really going on.”

“They know what you did on V-Day.” Eggsy offered. It was enough to shut Stiles up. Eggsy smirked, “Merlin said that should get you. I didn’t believe ‘im. I figured you could handle more than a little threat.”

“Fuck off.” Stiles gestured towards the door.

“You serious?” Eggsy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re actually serious?”

“V-Day ruined lives. Mine included. You don’t get to pretend you’re special because you’re part of the agency that saved the world. You don’t get to wave that in my face like it’s some sort of bartering tchip. My crimes were excused just like everyone else out there.” Stiles’ voice steadily raised causing Eggsy to take a step back.  The room was starting to get heavy from Stiles’ anger. “Kingsman doesn’t get to punish me. My crimes were excused, just like the rest of the worlds’.”

“We don’t need to punish you, even if we wanted to Mr. Stilinski.” Both Stiles and Eggsy jerked in surprise at the newest addition to Stiles’ office. Stiles hadn’t even heard him come in. “You’re already doing that for us. One case at a time, am I right? My name is Arthur, Mr. Stilinski. I had a feeling you’d be as stubborn as Galahad was to come here. I see my deductions were correct.”

“Yeah,” Stiles crossed his arms over his chest. “You can take your deductions and shove them up your ass, _Arthur_.”

Eggsy’s mouth dropped open, “Did that jus’ happen?  That jus’ happened. He just said that.”

“Galahad, if you’d please stop your blubbering it’s time we told Mr. Stilinski just exactly why we traveled the ocean blue to offer him a sparkling new home and a job with a secret organization.”

“Top.” The word was out before Stiles could stop himself. At Arthur’s unimpressed look Stiles shrugged his shoulders, “I thought if you were quoting me you should get it right.”

“My apologies, we wouldn’t want to get anything wrong.” Arthur bowed his head, “a job with a _top_ secret organization.”

“Right…” Eggsy’s drawled as his eyes darted back and forth between Stiles and Arthur.

“We are here to retain your services on a semi-permanent basis. Meaning we need you for the foreseeable future but if you wish to leave us after your contracted time period you would be free to do so.” Arthur further explained. “Our world is starting to experience a rise in supernatural phenomena. We are not equipped to deal with it properly. Your resources, your thirst for knowledge, and understanding fit what we need perfectly. Someone to help us understand what it is that we are facing. If that situation can be handled without violence or if our only option is violence, we need to know.”

Stiles nodded in understanding. “Why exactly did you send Galahad here if you were going to pitch this to me better than he could?”

Eggsy interrupted Arthur before the older agent could answer Stiles. “Because, no one knows what I am now. Not even that Dresden fellow could tell me. He pointed me straight to you. He said that you were the only person who could answer my questions. Plus they thought you’d react better to someone your own age asking you to join a top secret organization. I told you it wouldn’t work.”

Stiles ignored Eggsy, focusing in on Arthur. “Will I still be able to take outside cases? Like you said what I know is something that can help a lot of people. I’m not abandoning my clients.”

“Yes but we’d prefer you not take cases that you’d have to leave our facilities for a long period of time.”

“Meaning?”

“Wherever you go, I send an agent with you. I will not have you and an agent out if there are any assignments within Kingsman that need to be completed.” Arthur answered.

“How about you let me have a look see at your contract and you give me a little while to decide while the two of you do whatever you do in your spare time.” Stiles offered. 

Arthur pulled out the contract from the inside of his suit jacket followed by a small card with a phone number on it.  “You have twenty-four hours Mr. Stilinski. Call this number and tell them, ‘oxfords, not brogues’, Eggsy will be sent to pick you up if you sign the contract. If not I suggest you destroy that contract and hope we never cross paths again. I’m not as kind the second meeting.”

“Right…” Stiles let the word trail off as he eyed the fold paper before focusing on Eggsy. “What about him?”

“What about him Mr. Stilinski?” Arthur asked.

“Do you want to know what he is now or was that a ploy to lure me in?” Stiles questioned.

“That would be amendable if you would tell us. Mr. Dresden seemed quite insistent that you were the only person who would know that answer.” Arthur’s shoulders tensed. As if he didn’t like the idea that he didn’t know how to help Eggsy.

Stiles nodded slowly before popping his lips together. “I don’t know what he is.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Eggsy rolled his eyes. “Load of shite if you ask me. I ain’t human. That much we figured.”

“You’re not?” Stiles tilted his head with his eyebrows narrowed. “It’s been about since V-Day right? I bet you can recall the moment exactly once I give you the clues to look at.”

“Sure.” Eggsy shuffled his feet, unsure of where Stiles was taking this.  

“It felt like you were going to burn out of your skin. The pain was one of the most intense things you’ve ever felt. On a scale from one to ten, you’re clocking one hundred. You hurt from your hair to your toenails and you didn’t know if you’d ever be able to breathe again. You felt all that in a second and you were still alive” Stiles offered.

“How’d you know that?” Eggsy muttered.

“You didn’t shift into a big bad. If you did, you wouldn’t be here because you’d already know what you are. The only things that changed were maybe your strength? Possibly your speed, endurance and pain tolerance?”

“How do you know that?”

Stiles grinned, “Well that’s why you asked me and not Dresden.”

Stiles thought about the marks underneath his shirt. It would be easiest if he tugged his shirts over his head. Letting Eggsy see just exactly how Stiles knew what he was. There was an imprint on his left hip but the black veins spread up his back like roots of a tree. It clustered in places, skipped over his ribs and the knobs of his spine until it reached his right shoulder. The veins faded as they reached over his shoulder and melted down towards his arm. He knew better to show all his cards this early in the game though.

“Well?” Eggsy asked breathlessly.

Stiles pointed towards Eggsy’s hip, where the imprint was. “That happened with  in the first twenty-four hours of V-Day? Veins and all.”

“Yeah.”

Stiles answered. “There isn’t a name for what you are Eggsy because there’s never been something like you. V-Day created us. Dresden calls it some sort of fucked up Darwinism. He thinks it’s because I was so amped up from the disaster of V-Day my body relied on what it knew and it adapted instead of dying. We evolved.”

“So there are more of us out there?” Eggsy asked.

Stiles shook his head no before moving to his desk and digging until he found the file he was searching for. He handed it over to Arthur. “Doubtful. The pain we experienced should have killed us. You heard the news stories about the people with their hearts burst in their chests? That was supposed to be us. I know guy who knows a guy, who got me the files on hundreds of people who died in that manner and similar deaths. They all had what you had but a far smaller imprint, no veining and a very normal life history. Can you say the same of yourself, Eggsy? Did you ever have a normal life? I know I didn’t.”

“Fuck me.” Eggsy plopped down in a chair. “Someone could be out there alive.”

“I would have found them.” Stiles remarked. “I think the only reason I didn’t find you was because you weren’t treated in a hospital or anything resembling the makeshift treatment tents. Were you?”

“Not exactly.” Eggsy answered.

“He was treated on the plane and in the Kingsman facilities. You should not have been able to find any record of his treatment.” Arthur explained.

“See. Your guy knows by now what parameters I set to find others like us. Merlin, I’m assuming. He’d be the Merlin to your Arthur.”

“He ain’t my anything.” Eggsy held his hands up in the air and Arthur snorted.

“Like I said, he’ll know. He’ll search and come up with what I did. Nothing.”

“Right.” Arthur nodded firmly. “We will be taking our leave while you read over the contract. I do hope you consider our offer. You are not bound to find anything better than what we have. I believe Merlin has sent you something a bit more persuasive if the contract isn’t enough.”

Stiles nodded and watched as the two agents stepped left his office without any parting words. He looked back at the contract sitting on his desk and huffed out a breath. Was this something he really wanted to do? That was the question. He didn’t even know what he was signing up for but he was leaning towards going. It killed him to admit it because Arthur already expected him to take the offer. You don’t give a person twenty-four hours to make a decision unless you knew what their answer was going to be.

What happened on V-Day put him on the radar in the supernatural community in a major way. Stiles wasn’t supposed to be able to stop the anger pulsing through him. He wasn’t supposed to be able to harness that anger. No one was supposed to. He did. Be it a flaw in his genetic make-up or Stilinski luck. He was the one holding pressure to a wound that was meant to kill. He wasn’t used to people, things, being afraid of him but they were. What was left of the pack had slowly distanced themselves from him. His Dad? Well, Stiles would rather not think about his Dad just yet.

He had a feeling that if Eggsy wasn’t in a neutral zone when the chips were activated then he saw exactly what Stiles had done. He and Eggsy had far more in common than unusual names and a skill set that was suited to secrecy.

Taking a few moments to read over the contract, Stiles signed his name with a flourish. He’d be well provided for. He’d have access to historical documents that he had only dreamed of reading. He would be part of a team. Back in the research position and behind the lines. It was what he was good at. He still was able to take time to work his own cases alongside his duties as a Kingsman agent. He wasn’t leaving his life’s work behind and he wasn’t going to stop helping people here. It was probably what he had been looking for since V-Day. Harry had told him over and over again. Move away from California, get out and start fresh. If an old man could do it, than Stiles could. Well, Stiles thought as he picked up the phone, this was his new start.

“Thank you for calling our customer complaint department. How may I assist you?”

“Uh,” Stiles coughed into his hand. “Oxfords, not Brogues.”


	2. New Home, New Friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A post the day before my birthday!  
> Anyway I plan to try and update every Saturday.  
> I'm still setting the scene for the pairings. Hopefully you'll be excited about them as I am!  
> Let me know what you think, if you see any errors (My eyes always think everything is perfect because I have no patience). Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoy this!

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Kingsman to get Stiles packed, a work visa and a place to stay once they had his contract in hand. It took two weeks to get everything unpacked at his new house, yes, house. Not an apartment with shitty bookshelves but a house with an actual library.  He even had a ‘ _cozy, kitchen nook_.’ That should not have been as exciting as it was but whatever. He never had a kitchen, much less a kitchen that had a dining space. He was moving up in the world. He’d have a couple days to get over the jet lag and settle in before his training began in earnest. Merlin would be training him to work within their intranet and then Arthur would assign another agent to take up his physical training. It would be modified as per his contract stated. Not the full training that a Kingsman agent would receive but enough that he’d be able to handle himself against a human if it came down to it. The supernatural Stiles had a pretty good handle on.

At least that’s what Stiles understood it to mean. He wasn’t all that hopeless when it came down to it. He learned a lot from his dad and the pack. He didn’t survive a pack of werewolves, alpha werewolves, chimeras, the Nogitsune and V-Day without knowing a little something about protecting himself. It was a necessary evil in his world now to know how to take care of himself.

He wasn’t prepared for the knock on his door his first full night in. Stiles huffed out an angry sigh before getting to his feet to answer the door. He was in a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. He kicked off his shoes and socks earlier because they kept getting in his way when he’d try to get comfortable while he was flipping through the books he was unpacking. He peered out the window beside the door and Eggsy waved at him through the glass with a cheeky smile. He was still dressed in his suit, tie and fancy shoes.

“Don’t tell me it’s time to go to work?” Stiles asked as he opened the door. Eggsy didn’t wait for an invitation into the house, he just stepped in and started the process of relaxing. His shrugged his suit jacket off and hung it neatly before loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt.

“I’ve been waiting all day to do that.” Eggsy sighed as he took in the progress Stiles had made unpacking. “It’s never fun at the office when you’re actually in the office. If that makes sense.”

Stiles shrugged. That was a matter of perspective. He happened to like office days. Most of the time it meant that he wasn’t in immediate danger and would make it home. He was more worried about the out of office days. “So, do all the new agents get checked up on?”

“Nah,” Eggsy shook his head as he ducked into the living room and sat on the couch. “Only you.”

“Are you going to tell me why you’re here or am I going to have to ask?” Stiles claimed the recliner as he waited Eggsy out. They sat starring at each other. Eggsy wasn’t going to win this game. He’d stared down werewolves and came out on top. A somewhat-human wasn’t going to break his winning streak.

“Look,” Eggsy shifted back into a sprawl. It looked relaxed but Stiles could see the tension in Eggsy’s shoulders and the way he shifted his feet. This wasn’t just a visit. “Can you tell me something about what I am?”

“I told you already,” Stiles shook his head. “You’re human Eggsy. You’re just a little different than all the other humans out there. So far I haven’t found anything that makes us all that different besides the obvious. I know I can do some magic, utilize ley lines and have a much higher pain tolerance. Honestly I’m not sure what you can actually do. Not until I either get a history on you and the work you do or you let me run tests.”

Eggsy shifted on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees and his jaw clenched tight. “Things don’t hurt me as much as they should. I don’t stay down long either. Got shot through a lung, should have died, but I was up and going a week later. That ain’t normal.”

“Maybe that’s what you have,” Stiles offered. “A faster rate of healing, a higher pain tolerance.”

“Maybe. What can you do?” Eggsy questioned. “What makes you so different that they would be willing to drop everything to get you here? It’s not just because you’re mad smart. There’s something else that _both_ Arthur and Merlin are chasing after. What happened on V-Day? They ain’t letting anyone near the files they got on you.”

It took Stiles a minute to decide what he should do. No one but Dresden really knew what he could do. He kept things that way for a reason. Stiles knew that he was going to need an ally here. Eggsy may be close in age but they shared something no one else in the world did with each other. No one else in the world would ever be able to truly understand what they were experiencing. It was either a decision that he’d regret for the rest of his life or the best he’d make. Stiles stood up and gestured for Eggsy to do the same. “Follow me. You won’t believe me if I don’t show you. It’s hard to believe when I’m tell someone.”

“You tell a lot of people about what you can do?” Eggsy questioned.

“Only one other person knows.” Stiles answered as he stopped by the door to put on his shoes. He slipped into a light jacket. Eggsy followed suit and remained quiet. Stiles didn’t bother saying anything as he wound his way through the streets. He stopped in the middle of an emptied street. Most of the buildings looked abandoned. The few businesses that remained looked to be running on the opposite side of the law. This was the kind of place that was always functioning on the supernatural side of the world. It screamed ‘humans beware’.

“What are we doing here?” Eggsy asked only to get a shushing from Stiles who stood with his arms outstretched.

“We’re standing on intercepting ley lines.” Stiles looked back at Eggsy and shrugged, “Well I am. You’re just standing on one.”

“So what’s so great about that?” Eggsy looked one hundred percent lost with what they were doing here.

“It serves as a means to amplify your _spark_.” Stiles offered. “I’m going to show you something that no one, well not many people have seen. There are other beings who can tap into what I’m doing but they aren’t called human. They’re druids and the like. I’ll get into the technicalities of differences at work. You already look like you’re not going to believe me so we’ll wait for that lesson.”

“So what exactly are you going to do?” Eggsy asked as he watched Stiles squat down, his fingertips brushing the ground.

Stiles looked up and grinned at Eggsy. The few street lights that were working flickered off and on before emitting bright blue and purple sparks.

“What the hell?” Eggsy spun around in a circle. A loud hum made Eggsy clap his hands over his ears. “Stiles?”

“Just wait,” Stiles whispered as he stood up. It felt like the temperature dropped. The pavement beneath their shoes disappeared as whispers of tall grass, weeds and wild flowers appeared. Apparitions of people who once were began to materialize. Wisps of fog trailed behind them as they walked down dirt paths. Eggsy and Stiles watched as a couple dressed in cloaks walked through a building with a little girl dropping flower petals behind them as she tried to catch up to them.  Deer, birds and dogs roamed from cart to cart, from blossoming bush to bush. Everything felt so clean and pure. The air smelled and tasted different. Everything was fresh, natural and real. Stiles wanted to disappear into the moment. He wanted to let the warmth and air wrap around him.

_“Hello.”_

Both Stiles and Eggsy’s heads jerked around to who they thought has addressed them. It wasn’t actually either of them that had been spoken to. Instead it was another ghostly form standing behind them.

_“Ready?”_

_“You promise I won’t fail?”_

_“Of course you won’t. You want to protect this village as much as I do. Together you can accomplish much more than you could alone.”_

Stiles and Eggsy stood witness to two druids drawing ward lines The heady rush of magic, even hundreds of years later, burned along their skin. Eggsy gasped at the heat that rushed from his chest to settle in his stomach. He reached out to brace himself against Stiles. His fingers curled in the sleeves of Stiles’ jacket, pulling them closer together. The energy flowed from the ley lines, up the soles of their feet to their fingertips. Every nerve in their bodies felt alive with pleasure.

“What is that?” Eggsy asked. His eyes were wide behind his Kingsman issued glasses. His mouth opened wide as he took in all the color and energy around them. He let his forehead rest against Stiles without thought. His lips dropped open as he breathed in the air around them deeply. “It feels...”

“Alive,” Stiles chuckled at the surprise in Eggsy’s face. That was the only way to describe the energy they were feeling. It was alive. He rested his hands on Eggsy’s shoulders and laughed. This was probably one of the most fantastical things Stiles had ever been a part of and it wasn’t only his spark that allowed this to happen. Eggsy’s presence added to it. He made it possible.

 “No one will ever believe that this is possible.” Eggsy whispered.

“They don’t have to believe it.” Stiles felt his cheeks flushed as he stepped back from Eggsy. “They only need to see it and they’ll see the world in a way that they never thought possible. It’ll change everything. You’ll see.”

As the wind began to settle, the ghosts started to fade and the magic rested. Stiles felt Eggsy’s hands tighten against his shoulders. His head was still tilted back. Stiles knew Eggsy was attractive. This close to him, it was unmistakable. Eggsy was going to break his heart. And the worst part about it?  Stiles was going to let him break it.

~!~

 

Stiles was more than a little awed upon his first entrance of Kingsman headquarters. Eggsy deemed it necessary that every agent experience it so they knew just what type of crazy they were getting themselves into. Apparently it was the long way in. Eggsy pointed out different offices, training areas and walked the quickest route to the cafeteria. By the time they were done with the nickel tour, Eggsy had brought them to Merlin’s offices.

“This is Merlin’s sanctuary. Don’t bring coffee, food or anything else that can damage his equipment. Had to learn that one the hard way.” Eggsy helpfully pointed out.

“Who is our guest Galahad?” Merlin asked with a raised brow.

“Like you don’t already know who he is.” Eggsy muttered to himself before straightening and clearing his throat. “Merlin, this is Stiles Stilinski the newest paranormal consultant to Kingsman. He will also be working closely with you.”

“I beg to differ,” Merlin responded as he stood from his seat and extended his hand to Stiles. “We will be working together but not all that closely. We will be working on opposite ends of the spectrum. I, with what is happening real time and human, you, well it’s a little different. Yes?”

Stiles shook Merlin’s hand, “That’s one way of putting it. It’s good to meet you officially instead of as a tiny voice in someone’s ear.”

Merlin took a small step back. That in its self, revealed how shocked Merlin was that someone had picked up on his communications equipment. “Eggsy you are wanted in Arthur’s office. I will be finishing Mr. Stilinski’s tour of the facilities.”

“Right, good luck with that.” Eggsy saluted the pair of them before turning heel and darting out of the room.

Stiles waited to take Merlin’s lead. He wasn’t going to bother the man any more than they already had. Merlin turned towards the bank of computers he had been sitting in front of before typing out a quick command and the computers went idle. “I’ll be showing you where you’ll be working and your offices.”

Stiles quirked a brow at the distinction Merlin made. “Wouldn’t they be one and the same?”

“Not necessarily. Once you see the library I doubt we’ll find you all that often in your offices.” Merlin answered. He was already guiding them through his main work area and deeper into the recesses of Kingsman headquarters. He unlocked to rooms set across from each other, “These are your offices. One is a room is considered a clean room. I assume you are aware of how to handle aged documents?”

“I learned the proper way on my own back in high school, finally got the certification in college.” Stiles answered. “I’ve never handled documents that needed a clean room though.”

“I doubt you will for a while yet,” Merlin replied as they continued on. He dug a plastic badge out of his pocket and handed it over to Stiles. “You’ll need this to get through my work area, to yours and into this library. There are only fourteen people who have access to these materials and only three know they have access.”

“So me, you and Arthur I’m guessing?” Stiles asked as he waved the badge over the scanner and the door unlocked.

“You would be correct. If any of the other agents need reference materials it’s usually up to me to find it for them. Half of them wouldn’t know where to start looking. It’s easier this way.” Merlin continued on but Stiles stopped hearing whatever he said after that. The library was beyond anything that Stiles could have ever imagined it to be. The smell of the old pages and leather bindings of the books assaulted him. These weren’t just copies of originals. These were originals.  There were documents and books here that probably weren’t supposed to exist but they did. He was already moving through the stacks taking everything in.

For a group of secret agents who didn’t believe in the supernatural, they had the most comprehensive library on the subject that he had ever seen. There were books Dresden had drooled about seeing that were housed here. He was pulling books off the shelves and setting them on the tables as he moved. There were books that he’d want to read just because they were legends, events that shouldn’t have ever happened. There was a real Camelot and knights. Then there were books that might tell him more about what he had become. He might be able to learn more about who he was becoming. There was so much to do already.

“Mr. Stilinski?” Merlin had barely caught Stiles’ attention as he moved from book to book.

“Yes.” Stiles looked up, tucking his hands in his pockets to resist temptation.

“I do believe transparency is vital to the success to Kingsman. You need to know we saw what you showed Eggsy last night.” Merlin pressed his lips together. “I do not know what or who you are but I know that you are something we’ve never encountered.”

“Okay…” Stiles trailed off wondering where Merlin was going to take this.

“The Kingsman glasses have a live feed connected to them. Whatever Eggsy saw last night, I saw. I have only encountered one person who could do a fraction of what you did last night. What she could do was incredible but what you are capable of, what I believe you are capable of is beyond human imagination.”

“She died?”

“Murdered.” Merlin corrected. “For her abilities.”

“Who was she?” Stiles asked.

“My mother.” Merlin answered softly. He removed his glasses and pulled a cleaning clothe from his pocket to remove the invisible fingerprints on the lenses. “Eggsy has a certain charm. It’s irresistible. I could see the way you watched him. The way you act around him since your first meeting.”

Stiles ignored the fact Merlin abruptly changed the subject. He could understand not wanting to speak of his mother. Stiles didn’t like to speak of his mom, much less the family he left behind. “Are you trying to warn me to stay away from romantic connections with Kingsman agents?”

“I just warn you to be careful. Eggsy wasn’t always as electric as he is now and you aren’t the only one who looks at him that way.” Merlin offered.

“Well it’s my _modis operandi_. To want what I could only dream of having.” Stiles shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve lived a lonely life before and since V-Day, Merlin. I doubt that will change any time soon. I’m going to go back to exploring the library if that is okay?”

Merlin nodded, his eyebrows furrowed as if he wanted to say something else but stopped himself from expressing his thoughts. “I’ll be in my lab if you need me – anything.”

Stiles watched as Merlin walked from the room. Was it a requirement that everyone who was part of the Kingsman be so damn attractive, intelligent and honest? It was going to be more difficult than Stiles thought it would be working with Kingsman. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, yeah? I've had a few surgeries/procedures that put me out of commission. Plus I've been juggling work, school and doctor appointments. Then working to edit and publish my second novel (which is published!!) It's not as easy as it may seem. In other news, this seems to be the only thing I've been able to consistently focus on, so yay. At least I'm writing, right? I've got the beginnings of the next chapter and hope to update soon. 
> 
> Also, I'm a bit indecisive. You'll see once you read. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!! It feeds my soul.

Once Stiles had hidden himself away in the library Merlin took a walk to speak with Arthur. He wasn’t a difficult man to find. If he wasn’t with Eggsy then he was in his office. Arthur for once was sitting quietly in thought, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. Merlin to the seat opposite of Arthur, “Do I want to know what you are thinking so heavily about?”

“You trust him?” Arthur asked plainly.

“Yes.” Merlin nodded. “He might seem different from the rest of the Kingsman but he is good at what he does. There has been nothing but good word of his abilities. Even from the cases that did not reveal the best of results.”

“Cases that turned sour could have been hidden. He has abilities that we don’t understand. We do not know what he is capable of.” Arthur pointed out.

“Ah,” Merlin sighed. “I was never sure of what my mother was capable of doing yet you ate at the same dinner table with her son for years. Something that evil must have passed on in the blood.”

“You know I’m not starting a witch hunt. I worry that we could be asking for more trouble than what we are already experiencing with him here.” Arthur glared at Merlin. “You know I think nothing different of you because of who your mother was and what happened to her. I find it odd that one of the first things you tell _him_ is something that took you years to entrust to me.”

“He has to trust us, just as we do him. If he understands that, who we are, as people rather than only agents, he will trust us.” Merlin answered as he stood up. “There is one quality that every person who has come in to contact with him has said: he is loyal. We earn that loyalty? You can only imagine the work we can do together. Arthur, I can feel the power within him. It’s almost as if his magic is barely contained. Someone that is that rare? It’s once in a life as my mother would have said.”

~!~

Stiles didn’t know how long he had been at it but he didn’t move from the table he stationed himself at until he glanced up and Arthur was sitting across from him. “I see that awareness of your surroundings will be something you’ll need to work on in training.”

“I’m sorry,” Stiles swiped a hand through his hair and leaned back in the chair he was perched on. His back cracked and he let out a deep sigh. “This place is amazing.”

“Merlin said you hadn’t had lunch or dinner yet.” Arthur stood from his seat. “I suggest we fix that now and go over your upcoming schedule.”

Stiles looked down at the book in front of him then back to Arthur before sliding a piece of paper to mark his page and standing. “I was wondering what I’d be doing. Where you would want me to focus and how to get any information to the agents working directly with the supernatural.”

Arthur was guiding them through the hallway passed Stiles’ offices, through Merlin’s work area and into the main walkways. “You would be teaching them face-to-face and possibly going into the field on the more difficult cases. At the moment we’ve got a problem with ogres, believe it or not.”

“Easy.” Stiles waved Arthur’s concern off. “There are a few things I’ll have to find out, in field, to be able to figure out where to start from but ogres are probably a four on the supernatural scale of one to ten.”

“You consider that easy Mr. Stilinski?” Arthur asked as they stepped through into his personal office. There was already food and a soda waiting for Stiles. He didn’t bother asking as he dug into what he assumed was his food.

“It’s all what you’re used to dealing with. Werewolves are like a two, possibly a three. For you, you’d think they were much more difficult because you haven’t worked around them as much as I have.” The sandwich was good and he needed the caffeine from the Coke. He was lagging after a day spent bent over books.

“Well tomorrow you’ll be getting a start on our ogre problem.” Stiles muffled a laugh and let Arthur continue on. “Eggsy will be working with you on this one. I assume that will not be a problem?”

“Nope,” Stiles wiped his hands off on a napkin that had been tucked beneath the plate.

“Good. Afterwards I need you to get Merlin as up-to-date about the supernatural population we have here in England. Then you will start working with individual agents, taking cases and educating them. I do want you to continue your research into Eggsy’s case.” Arthur listed out and Stiles was waiting from him to stop. “You’ll be working hard during your time here at Kingsman. Don’t slack off on your training, don’t be late and do keep on your toes.”

“If I screw up a few times you’re not going to kill me right away, right?” Stiles swallowed the last of his Coke down. “I went from working for myself to this, which is not really a consultant job, working for Kingman full-time. It isn’t going to be all roses.”

“If I didn’t believe you could handle the work I would not have asked you here.” Arthur answered.

“Great. If that’s all, do you have any advice on how to get home from here?” Stiles asked.

“Up the stairs and to the left. You’ll find yourself on the main street. It should be a five minute walk to your flat.” Arthur explained.

“Right, well I’ll be going then.” Stiles wiped his hands clean on the napkin before tossing his trash in the garbage can. Hopefully he’d remember how to get out of here and back in tomorrow morning. If he got lost he figured they would find him. That wasn’t creepy. No, not at all.

~!~

The air was fair to crisp in the morning here. Stiles had his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket and could see his breath wafting in the air before him. He had locked his door when a hand landed on his shoulder. His reaction was immediate. He spun around to face his would-be attacker and kicked out automatically. The handful of coughs followed by muffled laughter was not the reaction he expected. That kick hurt. Dresden made sure that Stiles knew how to kick with strength behind the blow. Doors needed to be opened and there were plenty of monsters to run from.  He flinched when he could hear the unsteady coughing of whoever it was that he kicked. At least he knocked the air out of them.

“Arthur would be impressed. I’ll be bruised by the time we make it to the office.”

Stiles groaned when he recognized Merlin’s heavy brogue. He cracked an eye open and offered a hand to Merlin to help him to his feet. “Sorry. I’m jumpy by nature and I wasn’t expecting anyone to stop by.”

“More than okay, lad.” Merlin waved the incident off as he brushed the dirt off his pants. “Arthur will be glad that you aren’t all that hopeless when it comes to physical matters.”

“I’ve never been all that hopeless when it comes to protecting myself.” Stiles admitted as he nudged Merlin to turn around so he could brush the remaining dirt off the man’s suit jacket. Merlin stood stock still under his ministrations. Stiles internally groaned. “Sorry, I should have asked if that was okay. I’ve always been a touchy-feely kind of person.”

“It’s fine.” Merlin answered. “People tend to forget that I am human and a little help is appreciated.”

“Well if you ever need dirt brushed off your ass, I’m your guy.” This time Stiles groaned out loud. “Can we just pretend I didn’t say that and head to work?”

Merlin’s grin was wide and his cheeks flushed. “It’ll be our little secret. Are you ready to lead Eggsy into the world of ogres?”

“No one is ever _ready_ for ogres. If it’s not the smell that makes you want to cry and vomit at the same time, then it’s their strength. They may look fat and ugly but their strength should never be underestimated.” Stiles answered as they began the short walk.

“Do you think Eggsy will vomit?”

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t the first time I met an ogre. His name was Chuck and I don’t care that Chuck saved the pa- uh my life – in a round-about way but he was still beyond disgusting.”

“I’m not sure you should tell Eggsy about that. It might be a pleasant surprise back for everyone at HQ.” Merlin offered.

Stiles stuttered to a stop. “How many people are going to be watching this?”

“Well Arthur and myself for sure. The rest of the agents will be curious to see you and how you work. A new agent always garners more attention than they like. Percival and Lancelot will be there too. Lancelot is a bit protective of Galahad. They went through training together.”

“So if Eggsy gets hurt, I’m screwed?” Stiles asked with a raised brow.

“Eggsy always gets hurt. That’s nothing new.” Merlin responded. “It’s the fact that we will be seeing an ogre when we believed it all to be a fairytale. Which from the books you’ve left out in the library that there is quite a supernatural community that we didn’t know about right in front of our noses.”

“You had to have known there was more out there.” Stiles pointed out.

“People like my mother, and now you. Not ogres.” Merlin answered as he guided Stiles through the entryway to Kingsman. Merlin turned towards Arthur’s office. “Call Eggsy when you get to your office. Brief him early so he can get his questions out of the way and we can focus on the technical sides of things at the briefing with Arthur.”

Stiles saluted Merlin before trailing off to his office. If he stood and watched the way Merlin’s pants stretched against his ass, well, there wasn’t anyone around to see.

~!~

Stiles was flipping through the file he had set up for Eggsy, double checking that everything that Eggsy might need was there for him. A soft knock sounded on his door grabbing Stiles’ attention. Eggsy was leaning against the doorframe with his feet crossed at the ankle. Stiles didn’t hide the way his eyes trailed up until they met Eggsy’s smirk.

“I don’t usually get called down for a ‘pre-brief,’ that what you called it right?” Eggsy moved to sit across the desk from Stiles but Stiles gestured for Eggsy to pull his chair around the desk next to his.

“You need to tell me if you don’t understand anything because if you don’t, at the briefing we don’t have time to go back over this.” Stiles started but paused, “I can’t have you scared shitless when you see this guy for the first time either. There are too many people who will be watching.”

“It’s an ogre, it can’t be that bad.” Eggsy teased.

“Think of it like an extremely unhygienic Hulk.” Stiles shrugged his shoulders. “Ogres aren’t green either, not all of them.”

“’kay, lay it on my bruv.”

Stiles cleared his throat and flipped all the way to the beginning of the file. Stiles tried to muffle his laughter at Eggsy’s running commentary.

“These fuckers, sorry, ogres eat babies? And I’m not supposed to kill it? That’s fucked up bruv’.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Not just normal babies like lore portrays them to eating. Whenever there is an ogre around, there are always other supernatural creatures in the area. That’s the only reason ogres would show up. Ogres eat supernatural babies. It gives them better energy or some weird shit.”

“So what am I going to do once I see this ogre?” Eggsy asked.

“First you’re not going to throw up.” Stiles smirked at Eggsy’s outraged look. “Ogres aren’t known for their hygiene, man. They live where humans can’t find them, no showers. Plus their faces are a bit odd. They have a huge head, oily hair and terrible teeth. They aren’t pretty.”

“Remind me why I can’t kill this guy?”

“The babies he eats? They become worse than what he is if they survive to adulthood. Something went entirely wrong in their genetic make-up. I’ve only met one person who should have been eaten by an ogre but wasn’t. Deranged is the only way I can explain it. I don’t like thinking about it. Ogres act as a supernatural checks and balances kind of thing. As terrible as they seem, they’re needed.”

“How do I get him relocate then?” Eggsy questioned Stiles.

“Talk to it like you would a person. He’s doing the world a favor being alive. It may not seem like it but there are monsters you never want to see and ogres are the reason most of the world has no idea about what is out there.” Stiles answered. “If he gets violent, a bat to the side of the head will do enough damage to get him down. If he needs killing, I do it. Not you. Understand?”

“I don’t think Arthur or Merlin will be happy with that outcome. I’m supposed to handle the tough stuff, not you. You’re the consultant.” Eggsy pointed out.

“They’ll have to get happy then.” Stiles answered.

“So let me get this straight,” Eggsy leaned back in his chair with his hands laced together over his stomach. “I’m supposed to just ask him nicely to move along?”

“Yup,” Stiles nodded before handing Eggsy a paper. “Because you’re going to tell him that Kingsman will take care of any abominations.”

“So we’re just going to kill all these babies?” Eggsy was shocked at how cavalier Stiles was being about it.

“Don’t look at me like that. I never said I was going to go around killing babies or going to ask anyone else to.” Stiles huffed out a breath and tapped a few keys on his keyboard before spinning his laptop so Eggsy could see the screen. On one side of the screen there were algorithms running in a blur of numbers and letters. On the other names with thumbnail pictures were highlighted. “These are the people who are believed to have gotten away from ogres. Back home I kept track of them. I watch their criminal movements and if any of my sources get information on them, I know about it.  They’re monitored just the way you would monitor potential terror threats.”

“It just,” Eggsy shook his head. “None of this seems right. I ain’t gonna let ‘im live if he’s just going to go around killing babies. How does that make sense?”

“The supernatural world is a gray area. There isn’t a right or wrong answer that you can depend on like there is in the human world.” Stiles explained. “It’s what is right in a single moment that you have to depend on.”

“So we relocate him? Then what? Ignore the fact that he’s out there eating babies?” Eggsy snorted. “That’s not going to happen.”

Stile gnashed his teeth together before spinning the laptop so it was facing Eggsy once again. He had to take a deep breath to steady himself. He was pushing into an emotionally dangerous territory. The angrier, the more frustrated he got, the more likely his magic would spark. He pulled up a picture of Peter Hale. Then he pulled up the pictures of the carnage he had wreaked in Beacon Hills. He turned his laptop back towards Eggsy. “You see this man?”

Eggsy grimaced at the pictures Stiles was clicking through.

“He did this.” Stiles rubbed at his eyes. “There comes a point when you have to trust me when I say what we’re doing is for the best. Relocating an ogre, getting it away from general population and back to a safe environment for humans and supernaturals? That’s what’s best for now.”

“What if he loses it and starts killing innocent kids?” Eggsy challenged.

“Then we kill him.” Stiles answered and cut Eggsy off before he could protest. “Not before then. If we killed people or supernaturals for things they _might_ commit, then you and I would both be dead. Wouldn’t we?”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Eggsy spit out.

“No it doesn’t.” Stiles nodded. “But I’m heading this mission and you will follow my orders.”

“Yeah.” Eggsy nodded as he stood. “I’ll meet you back at Merlin’s. Iron out the details there. I don’t think we’re accomplishing much here.”

“Right.” Stiles drawled out and watched as Eggsy tore his office door open. This wasn’t going to a walk in the park, for either of them. Stiles already felt like this mission was a bust.

~!~

Stiles followed Eggsy out to Merlin’s workspace after twenty-minutes.  Harry, Merlin, Eggsy and a few other agents were milling about waiting for him. He went through the motion of handing Harry and Merlin their information packets before sliding Eggsy his copy across the table. He ignored the urge to snarl when Eggsy ignored it.

“Right,” Stiles started. “This is a relocation mission. We get the ogre away from the public and back to a suitable environment. If anything goes wrong, at all, Eggsy is out of there and I’m the person stepping in. No discussion. That’s how it’s going to be or I do this on my own.”

“Arthur, you’re just going to let him talk to us like this?” Percival questioned.

“He has the knowledge none of us do. If by chance we decide other options need to be explored we will return to base and consult as a team as how to proceed. As this is our first knowledgeable interaction with a supernatural I do believe Mr. Stilinski deserves the authority he’s commanding.” Harry explained and then nodded for Stiles to continue.

“Eggsy’s main goal is to convince the ogre to relocate willingly. If he agrees, Eggsy will implant a tracking device we can monitor to be sure he is going away from the public, not towards. If there are any issues, a quick but powerful blow right above the ear will knock the ogre unconscious. I’m assured that there are trucks available to move it, if needed?” Stiles asked Merlin who nodded.

“So that’s it?” Lancelot questioned. It was as if she couldn’t believe that the mission could be so simple.

“Eggsy moves in,” Stiles reiterated as he flipped his file open to another page and gestured for Harry, Merlin and Eggsy to do the same. “He talks the ogre down, makes nice, the ogre leaves and mission complete. Nothing in that is simple and Eggsy would know that if he would have stuck around. Now he has less time to go over and memorize the etiquette on approaching an ogre.”

“There’s etiquette to this?” Eggsy’s mouth dropped open.

“Yes,” Stiles nodded. “Knowing it is what makes this easy. You just turned a four case into an eight. We’ve only a few minutes left to get to the trucks and head out. Eggsy, read the files.”

“Eggsy will be riding in the same truck as you.” Lancelot pointed out and Stiles rolled his eyes at her.

“Sure.” Stiles answered as if he knew that Eggsy would do whatever it took to be in a different truck. “I’ll need help packing weapons.”

“I thought this was supposed to be a relocation mission.” Eggsy muttered. Stiles ignored him as he moved to gear up. Eggsy was going to make this harder than it should be.

~!~

The truck right was quiet. As soon as they were in range of the ogre everyone’s faces started to crumble into disgust. “That’s foul.” Eggsy commented.

Stiles raised a brow as if to say, ‘told you so.’ But he refrained from saying so out loud. There was no reason to make Eggsy any angrier than necessary. Stiles kept his eyes glued on Eggsy and nearly jumped when Merlin’s voice sounded in his hear. “You keep looking at him like that he might expect more than what you’re willing to give.”

Stiles ignored the curious look Eggsy shot him before covering an amused snort in his hand. In any other situation he would be running Eggsy through the mission protocols but this wasn’t any other situation. Stiles had a feeling that despite the quick friendship they developed, both he and Eggsy had something to prove. Being some of the youngest people in an organization like The Kingsman, you were always working to prove that you were just as useful as the older members. Being sent on a mission that you didn’t understand or agree with made everything more difficult.

“You’ve arrived, Stiles. I think it would be best to look present.” Merlin commented absentmindedly.

Stiles climbed out of the truck moments after Eggsy and Harry did. He shook his hands out. Even though they were encased in black leather gloves, they were still cold and burning with anticipation. Stiles walked around to the back of the truck and pulled out his own modified baseball bat. It had become a favorite weapon of his back in Beacon Hills and he hadn’t been able to shake the affection for it. It was a weighted aluminum. He had a wire wrapped around the barrel of the bat that had been laced with wolfsbane. It had enough heft that most people didn’t think it a weapon they should fear. Stiles knew better.

He looked to Eggsy and grimaced as the agent ran through the familiar motions of checking his gun before setting it into the holster on his thigh. Other than the gun both he and Eggsy were dressed in the same outfit. They were in tight black leathers to protect their skin and clothing to the possibility of infection, due to the spit of the ogre reaching their skin. Harry was standing back, almost leaning against the truck as he watched the two of them ready themselves.

The feeling of vibrations underneath Stiles boots made him reach out and tap Eggsy on the shoulder.

“What mate?”

“He’s close. You ready for this? Remember to speak in suggestions. If you speak in suggestions he’s more likely to do what we want him to. Don’t make it seem like we’re moving him for any other reason but to give him and break and take over the job for him. He’s moving because he wants to, not because we want him to. You got it?” Stiles questioned as he started in the direction of the ogre.

“Yeah, go it.” Eggsy shook his shoulders out and followed after Stiles.

“You’ve got an audience of six, Stiles.” Merlin warned. “You better make this good.”

“Thanks,” Stiles mumbled and ignored the look Eggsy gave him. Apparently Merlin was still talking to only him. He’d have to get used to having the voice in his ear be Merlin. He was used to being the voice in everyone else’s ear, “just what I needed.”

“I don’t know how much of this smell I can take.” Eggsy commented and Stiles silently agreed. It was getting past rank and into the territory of a decomposing corpse. His mouth watered with the need to vomit. There was a reason for it. The ogre stepped out from behind a copse of trees.

“Why are you ‘ere?” The ogre’s voice was muffled through the mess of detritus he had shoved part-ways in his mouth. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened in anger. “I know you. I know that smell.”

Stiles resisted the urge to twirl the bat in his hand. There was no need to be a threat. The ball was in Eggsy’s court. It was time to see if he actually took the time to go over the file.

“Hello there, mate. M’name’s Gary Unwin.”

“Un…win.” The ogre drawled out. “I’m George. Why are you ‘ere?”

“I’m here to talk to you, George. Do you have a moment for us to talk?” Eggsy answered loudly.

“What are we talking about?” George asked as he sat heavily on the ground. The trees around him shook from the force.

“All the good work you’re doing.” Eggsy smiled before he gave a body wrenching cough and ended up choking on his own spit making the cough worse. He tried to get the cough under control, Stiles had to give him that, but when you inhale a stench like an ogres it made everything twenty time worse. Eggsy started to retch and Stiles slammed a hand over Eggsy mouth and pressed his lips close to Eggsy’s ear. “Whatever you do, do not vomit.”

Eggsy gave Stiles a look of complete disbelief asking how that was going to be possible. Once Eggsy had gotten himself together he continued talking to George. “It’s just, is it possible that you may be too close to humans?”

“No ‘umans here ‘cept you.” George answered.

“But they do come here and what if they got scared and tried to hurt you?”

“That wouldn’t be good.” George answered as he picked a twig from between his teeth. “Who’d take care of the monsters?”

“That’s what we’re here for. We’ll take care of the monsters. It’s our job to protect just like you.”

“If you can take care of ‘em?” The ogre mulled the offer over.

“So you see why we need you to move. So we can take over and give you time to rest from what a good job you’ve been doing.” Eggsy said and Stiles wanted to smack Eggsy on the back of the head. Suggestions. Always talk in suggestions. Did he not get that in the million times it was written and underlined?

“You **_need_?” ** George stood, and gripped the tree next to him. The branches splintered from the force.

“No,” Eggsy shook his head. “I just thought that the bridge a bit over there would be better than where you are now. A better view.” Eggsy offered and Stiles did smack Eggsy over the back of his head. This was starting to go downhill fast.

“I ain’t a troll!” The ogre yelled.

Eggsy turned to Stiles looking for guidance.  In that brief second everything went wrong. The ogre charged towards Eggsy, knocking him against one of the trees. Stiles let out a growl and with a swift twirl, Stiles held the bat in a batter’s stance before slamming the barrel of it against the side of the ogre’s head. The ogre turned towards Stiles, stunned with blood dripping from his mouth and he howled at Stiles. Stiles spun so his back was facing the ogre and felt spittle hit his back. He did the only thing you could do when faced with a pissed off ogre. He ran. “Watch yourself Stiles. You’re running towards population, not away from.”

Stiles startled and slipped on the leaves under his feet at the sound of Merlin’s voice before he was spinning around and heading in the opposite direction. He dodged Eggsy who was getting to his feet to join the fight. Once he had created enough space in between George and himself he turned and with a wide arch, brought the edge of his bat against the ogre’s ear. The ogre wasn’t going down though. He swiped an arm out, knocking Stiles on his ass. The ogre grabbed Stiles ankle and slid him against the ground and into a tree. He let out a pained grunt. That was going to leave a mark.

“Stiles, should I send in reinforcements?” Merlin questioned in his ear.

“No.” Stiles answered as he scrambled to his feet.

“Are you going to get this ogre to move or should I call a clean-up team?” Merlin asked.

“Just wait.” Stiles grit out as he chased after the now running ogre. He was catching up to Eggsy when all of a sudden they both were sent toppling over a log.

“Fuck.” Eggsy growled out. Stiles echoed the sentiment in his head.

“You might want to make a move before you’re unable to.” Merlin pointed out and Stiles looked up into the eyes of a pissed off ogre. The bat had slid a good few feet in front of him and there was no getting to it in time. Without thought, Stiles reached over and tugged Eggsy’s gun from its holster on his thigh. Stiles’ hand definitely went where it shouldn’t have as he yanked it free. He leaned back and fired Eggsy’s gun until the clip was empty. George dropped inches away from them and let out a grotesque burp. Stiles rolled on his back and took a few heaving breaths before pressing the gun to Eggsy’s chest and standing up.

“Next time,” Stiles heaved in a breath as he watched Eggsy get to his feet and put his gun back in its holster. “Next time, if you just listen to me and read what I give you, you won’t get hurt.”

“I’m fine.” Eggsy mumbled as he started to walk but immediately stopped himself. His hand pressed against his ribs and he limped back to the car. Stiles shook his shoulders out and followed Eggsy back to the truck. If there was one thing he had learned since Beacon Hills, it was how to take a hit. Eggsy was going to have to learn how to handle fighting supernatural creatures if he was going to be the go to agent.

“Impressive.” Merlin’s voice echoed in Stiles’ ear. “I’ll send in the clean-up crew. Is there anything you require on this end when you return?”

“Hibiclens.” Stiles answered. “Lots of fucking Hibiclens.”

“The antibiotic soap used before surgeries?”

“Yes. That and for someone to burn my favorite pairs of fucking leathers.”

“I do believe you used them for more than that today.” Merlin commented and sent Stiles into a fit of laughter. If he wasn’t so tired and hurt, he might have teased Merlin back. Instead he let out a groan and ignored the laughter in his ear.

Stiles hefted himself into the truck before reaching out to give Eggsy a hand up. “Next time, will you listen to me?”

“Fuck.” Eggsy answered. It was good enough for Stiles. For now they had a whole lot of woods to trample through and a debrief to get through while smelling like they spent a week in a dumpster.

 

~!~

Harry sent them both to get cleaned up before the actual debrief  because they smelled that badly. Stiles decided not to share the same showers as Eggsy and went to find his own. He was in the process of pulling his boots off when Merlin stepped in the locker room.  Stiles looked up from pulling his boots off waiting for Merlin to say anything. Instead Merlin tossed him a bottle of the Hibiclens.

Stiles caught it with a still gloved hand. “Thanks. Did Eggsy get some of this?”

“Harry is taking care of it.” Merlin answered with a nod.

“Great.” Stiles went back to pulling his boots off. He stood up to unzip his jacket when he noticed that Merlin was still watching him. “Is there anything else?”

“You stunned a room full of Kingsman agents today.” Merlin answered. “That’s not easy to do.”

Stiles shrugged as the jacket fell to the floor behind him. He worked on his belt and his pant fastenings next. “It’s not hard to stun a group of people when they don’t expect much of you to start with.”

“Being underestimated can be used to your advantage.” Merlin pointed out.

“Well,” Stiles started to tug his pants off. “I should be used to it then. Is there anything else you needed?”

Merlin tossed an unlabeled jar to Stiles. “That’ll help with the bruises.”

Stiles raised a brow as he set it on the bench next to him. “Thanks.”

“Leave whatever needs to be destroyed on the floor. An extra set of clothes will be left for you while you shower. Debrief is in fifteen.” Merlin started to leave but Stiles stopped him.

“Wait.” Stiles stood up and padded over to Merlin. He flicked the clasps on the side of the gloves, “Pull these off for me? The top by the wrist is fine, but getting ogre spit and blood on my wrists is asking for trouble.”

Merlin cocked a brow but began to work the gloves slowly off of Stiles’ hands.  His fingers dipped between the leather and Stiles’ skin. He worked the glove until it was sliding from Stiles’ fingers without effort. He briefly glanced up at Stiles and Stiles could feel his cheeks warm. It could have been the adrenaline working out of his system but his heart beat harder in his chest. He could have sworn that Merlin’s lips quirked upwards the tiniest bit before the agent was working on the glove on his right hand. There was a soft pressure against his pulse and Stiles felt his mouth grow dry. 

“Thirteen minutes, Stiles.” Merlin’s voice had dropped low and Stiles knew what he wanted to do with those thirteen minutes and it didn’t involve Merlin leaving without him. Instead he stood there with his mouth open watching Merlin leave the locker room.

Stiles turned the shower on until the water was scalding and grabbed his soap. If he didn’t get his libido under control he was going to be in some serious trouble. 


	4. Bruises and a Bit of Electrocution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I say that you guys are awesome!? Because you are. Seriously. So I worked hard to get you an update for the New Years because I thought it would be awesome. There will be a nice little pairing update along with the chapter. Hopefully I'll be adding in a bit more spice in the next few chapters. Okay, I totally will. I just have to get them there. 
> 
> Anyways, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a happy and safe celebration and did not do what I did (which was hang out with my cats and watch movies all night).

* * *

 

Stiles made it to the briefing with a minute to spare. Eggsy slid into a seat next to him right before Harry walked into the room.

“I would like to know where we went wrong so we can avoid future situations like this. I do not like seeing my agents limping out a diplomatic position.” Harry looked to Stiles for answers.

Taking a deep breath Stiles gave Harry the answers he probably did not want to hear. “We had a misunderstanding before the brief and it seems neither Eggsy nor I moved forward from it.”

“Care to explain?” Harry asked as he looked back and forth between Stiles and Eggsy. Eggsy shrugged a shoulder and looked to Stiles.

“It appears I need to provide a better history on the creatures that we are going to be working with or against. That way the importance of relocation versus elimination is clear.” Stiles answered. “Also I believe if on the ride to the site we had reviewed the etiquette of dealing with the ogre, there would not have been such a violent reaction.

“Eggsy.” Harry prompted, “Do you have anything to add?”

“Nope,” Eggsy answered. “That about covers it.”

“Well,” Harry muttered before standing, “We will review the footage, learn from our mistakes and make the time to explore all avenues of education before interacting. I want your individual reports on my desk by the morning. You’re all dismissed.”

Stiles was expecting much more than that. He scooted back from the table and made his way back down to his office. He was surprised to see Eggsy sitting in his chair waiting for him.

“What can I do for you?” Stiles questioned as he moved to grab the spare chair.

“I should’ve listened to you, yeah?” Eggsy muttered. “It just don’t make sense, none, to me. It’s hard to fight something you don’t understand.”

“That’s why I made the file.” Stiles responded. “I may not have gone about getting the information across to you in the right way. I’m sorry.”

“Think I should be saying that.” Eggsy chuckled. “You surprised me.”

“Yeah?” Stiles asked.

“Yeah.” Eggsy answered. “I didn’t expect that bat of yours to do as much damage as it did. And I definitely did not expect you to go for my gun and kill the thing.”

“I’m not going to let either of us get killed, Eggsy, no matter what our differences are.” Stiles replied. “I do need you to trust me when I tell you something is important though, even when you don’t agree with what we’re doing.”

“I just,” Eggsy shook his head, “Hard to wrap my head around.”

Stiles nodded, “I think this deserves a beer.”

“I know a place. Then maybe you can tell me a little bit about what you know we are?” Eggsy offered and Stiles grinned. It was good to know that Eggsy wouldn’t be a pain with any disagreements they had. It made it a lot easier to get along and work together.

* * *

 

Stiles wasn’t ever going out for beers with Eggsy when he had work the next morning. Kingsman wasn’t the type to be sympathetic towards a hangover. It was bad enough his body was bruised and sore from the events the day before. Topping that off with a hangover wasn’t his smartest move. Thankfully he had half a mind to pack an extra-large thermos full of half and half, coffee and hot chocolate. He was pretty sure his lunch box was filled with more junk then actual lunch. At least he’d make it through the day.

Merlin, Harry and Eggsy were all waiting for Stiles when he made it to his office. He did a double take to make sure he wasn’t imaging things but his luck wasn’t that good. Stiles skirted around the men before settling in at his desk. He ignored them as he opened his laptop and set it to load followed by taking a large gulp of his coffee, hot chocolate mixture.

“What can I help you gentlemen with?” Stiles questioned as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.

“It has been decided that in order for everyone to become more knowledgeable on the supernatural, they will report to you on Wednesdays until lunch.” Harry answered. “You will of course teach what you see to be most suitable.”

“Okay.” Stiles drawled out, still unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do now.

“So what’s up first?” Eggsy asked with a smile that was far too sparkly to be hungover.

“Oh,” Stiles sat up straight in his chair. “You mean starting today?”

“That is precisely what he means.” Merlin smirked at Stiles who was now opening all the drawers of his desk and digging through papers in a desperate attempt on something he could focus on for the day.

“So, I guess I should be asking is there anything specific we should focus on. Like what made you want to bring me here?” Stiles stopped digging through the papers before shifting from his chair and leaned towards the bookcase and set a couple of books on his desk. He looked up at Harry, waiting for further instruction.

“I’d like you to start with the various forms of magic users. We have been monitoring an influx of magic users. It’s best that our agents are prepared as well as we can make them.” Harry answered, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Stiles glanced towards Merlin and noticed the way the muscles in his jaw had ticked with irritation. Apparently Merlin was in the same boat as Stiles was. Neither of them were actually aware of when the Wednesday classes were going to start and what they were going to be about.

“Why do I feel like I’ve miss something here?” Eggsy muttered as his eyes darted between the empty doorway and Merlin.

“Because, Mr. Unwin,” Merlin answered tersely, “You have.”

Stiles cleared his throat and flipped open the book on top of the stack. “How about we let Stiles actually prepare for a lesson before I teach you something you don’t need to know at all? That sounds like a great idea. Go back to your agent-ing or whatever it is you do when we pretend each other don’t exist.”

Eggsy snorted in amusement as he got to his feet. “Don’t think because you’re not teaching me anything today that you’re going to get out of training tomorrow.”

Stiles’ mouth dropped open. “Say what?”

“Eight o’clock,” Eggsy grinned over his shoulder as he headed in the same direction as Harry had moment before.

Stiles looked towards Merlin and felt the need to apologize but knew he hadn’t anything to be sorry for. Instead he moved from his desk to Merlin’s side. He pressed a hand to the man’s shoulder as a gesture of quiet comfort. It wasn’t a well-known fact that Merlin’s mother used magic and had been a large part of the community before her murder, but Stiles had a feeling that Harry had known about Merlin’s mother and chose to withhold this information from Merlin.  Stiles let his thumb press lightly against the back of Merlin’s neck before trailing out of his office. “I’m going to get a snack. Planning always makes me hungry.”

Stiles ignored the feeling of Merlin’s gaze on his back as he left Merlin in his office. The man clearly needed a moment to gather his thoughts. If not, then to plan his line of attack against Harry. Stiles understood the calculating look Merlin had on his face. Stiles had seen it numerous times looking back at him in the mirror. Some things you couldn’t let go. No matter how subtle, no matter how tricky the situation, you had to stop being nice.

 

* * *

 

Merlin didn’t bother knocking on the door to Harry’s office once he arrived. Harry was in the middle of speaking with a new agent but the young man had enough sense in his head to leave without being asked. Merlin shut the door with a firm click before rounding on Harry.

“Yes, Merlin?” Harry questioned as he leaned back in his chair.

“Don’t, ‘yes, Merlin’ me.” Merlin scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest. “You and I both know you have forgotten to tell me something. Springing that on all of us, like you did is not your usual style.”

“I do believe you were going to be informed as to what was going on by our young protégé.” Harry answered as he flipped open a file and began to scan the information inside it. Merlin let the walls of professionalism drop in that moment. He slapped a hand over the file and waited until Harry looked up to meet his gaze.

“What are you not telling me?”

“Merlin,” Harry waited until Merlin took a step back. “I know that you’ve kept your ear to the ground in the magical community. You would not be you if you hadn’t. There has been something going on since V-Day and they are magic users amassing in numbers. Your mother’s friends have increased in their contact with you, don’t bother denying it. Something has been going on and it’s only going to get worse.”

“You have been watching me?” Merlin’s voice dropped low and dangerous. It made Harry sit a little straighter in his seat. “Or should I say you’ve been monitoring me?”

“When a large number of people, such as the magic users, gather in secret, there is some reason for alarm. If we were to categorize this group of people, they would be on a terrorist watch list. We had to monitor every potential avenue to gather information.” Harry answered practically.

“So you decided to _monitor_ me?” Merlin growled out. He paced back and forth in front of Harry’s desk. “As your colleague and as your personal friend, you could have just asked me what I knew.”

“We gather information in a variety of ways. It must be current and unbiased. I did what I thought right.”

“What you thought was right?” Merlin rolled his eyes as he sat down heavily. His mind started to race as he started putting the pieces together. If there were a large number of magic users, the power they held, it was immeasurable.  Harry had to find someone who could handle the amount of power, avoid the temptation that they would offer him and do the right thing. “That’s why you brought Stiles in, isn’t it? It wasn’t just the fact that there are more incidents involving the supernatural. If that was it, you could have just turned to me. I would have found the necessary information.”

“I suspect you would have done an adequate job if he refused our offer, but you are quite right as to why we brought him here. We can handle trolls, werewolves and the like. We might not do it correctly the first go around, but we could manage.” Harry nodded as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his desk. “We both saw what he could undergo, what he could withstand in the V-Day footage.  If they were to have found him first, they would achieve whatever their goal may be.”

“You’re a right bastard, you know that?” Merlin bit out. “As a friend, you should have come to me. You should have told me what you were thinking, what you were expecting to happen and why.”

“I did what I believed was best.” Harry answered simply.

Merlin nodded as he turned towards the door. “Don’t think you’ll ever be able to monitor me again, Harry.”

“I suspect not.” Harry nodded. “You should review the footage of young Stiles.”

Merlin walked out of the room without another word. His footsteps were soundless as he let the door bang against the wall. As he wound his way through the hallways, doubling his walk time, Merlin had realized Harry had drawn a line between the two of them without realizing it. They had been through hell and back but Harry couldn’t come to him about this.

He found himself back in his office faster than he would have liked. He still had too much to think about. He sat at his desk and started to go through his computer, checking for any sign of another agent monitoring his computer, internet and phone activity. It was there. Tiny little footprints leading him right back to Percival and Lancelot. They wouldn’t have left the footprints if they didn’t want to. They were smart enough to hide their tracks a bit better than they had. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy with Harry’s orders.

* * *

 

“Right,” Stiles clapped his hands together and focused on Eggsy as he mimicked the stretches Eggsy was going through. It was far too early in the morning to be this active but he signed his name to the contract and he was obligated to participate in the training. No matter how much his muscles were going to scream in agony later on. “How much am I going to hate you later?”

Eggsy grinned as he nodded his head towards something behind Stiles. “I don’t think you’ll hate me as much as you’ll hate everyone else.”

Stiles turned to see who would be watching his humiliation and he groaned. “Really guys? At least pretend you’re doing your own thing.”

Lancelot and Percival were two of the only agents he could name off the top of his head, but there were several others milling around watching he and Eggsy as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. They all stood shamelessly watching as Eggsy finished the stretching routine and gestured for Stiles to get to his feet.

“First, we’re going to see what you have in the way of self-defense. Then I’ll be able to come up with a plan as to what we need to focus on and how to approach it.” Eggsy explained. “Sounds like a good idea to you?”

Stiles scoffed, “Yeah, great. Exercise makes me want to cry, just so you know.”

Eggsy tilted his head back and laughed. “You really shouldn’t have told me that.”

“Ah,” Stiles shrugged, “You would have figured it out sooner or later.”

“Right, well, here we go.”

The words had barely left Eggsy’s mouth before he was throwing a punch. Stiles pivoted out of the way and lightened his stance. Eggsy wasn’t going to go easy on him if that punch was anything to go by. Stiles ducked, dodged and blocked punches with his arm. That last one was going to bruise like a mother fucker by the end of their session.

Stiles had even managed to get a few good licks in himself by the time he was wiping sweat from his brow in between throwing punches back at Eggsy. He was starting to pick up the natural rhythm Eggsy had when he was fighting when Lancelot tossed Eggsy a sparring stick, leaving Stiles with only his hands to defend himself with.

Facing Stiles without a weapon seemed to spur Eggsy on, to push further, and to hit harder. Stiles started running out of breath and the pain from each blow seemed to hit hard, and sting down to every nerve ending. When Eggsy jabbed him hard in the nose with the butt of the stick, Stiles couldn’t hold back any longer.

The taste of blood and sweat trickling into his mouth from his nose and cheek, sent him spiraling into the mindset that his life was truly in danger. Instead of fighting with his hands and fists, Stiles fought with the one thing he had at his disposal that Eggsy didn’t have. Magic.

The air around Stiles started to snap with static. The motion was automatic. He was about to send a burst of energy from his hand when someone slid in between he and Eggsy. Stiles immediately dropped the hold he had on the energy swirling around them. He shook his head clear of the fog of adrenaline and fight. He needed to regain the focus he had been losing.

“Steady there, lad.” Merlin set his hands softly on Stiles’ shoulders and hissed out a breath when he was shocked. Merlin didn’t hesitate to press his hands more firmly against Stiles’ shoulders. His hands moved with Stiles’ unsteady, heavy breathes. He exuded more pressure on Stiles’ shoulders in attempt to get Stiles to focus on what was happening in this second. He was no longer being threatened, he was no longer sparring. He was in the training area of the Kingsman facilities.

Stiles unconsciously matched his breathing to Merlin’s. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Eggsy was shaking his hands as if he had been stung by electricity. He could also feel the eyes of the other agents on him. Watching and waiting for whatever he was going to do next. He could feel their anxiety, curiosity and fear of what Stiles might be capable of doing. They were finally recognizing that Stiles was just as dangerous as they were.

“Turn it off.” Stiles muttered as he raised his hands to cover his ears. Their thoughts became a barrage of sound. He clinched his eyes closed as tight as he could manage but it only served to make the sound much louder.

“What is it lad? What do you hear?” Merlin looked over his shoulder at the agents who were standing quietly, watching. “No one’s making a sound.”

Stiles shook his head once again before he moved his hands to rest on Merlin’s shoulders. His fingers dug in to his sweater as he tried to ground himself. Stiles could feel the energy that had built up within him, slowly traveling from his fingertips to Merlin’s shoulders. Merlin’s mouth dropped open a fraction of a centimeter as the energy zinged along his nerves.

Merlin breathed in time with Stiles until the energy dissipated. “All’s right?”

Stiles nodded slowly. His fingers ached as he uncurled them from Merlin’s sweater. “Did I hurt him?”

Merlin raised a brow, “Eggsy? No. He’s right as rain. See for yourself.”

Eggsy was standing with his hands braced on his knees. His hair had grown wet with sweat. He had sweat through his tee-shirt as well. “What the buggering fuck was that?”

Stiles huffed out a laugh, “What the buggering fuck did you do to me?”

Eggsy raised a brow at Merlin, as if he were saying, this guy had a few screws loose. Before he could say anything Stiles started to speak once again. “You were hitting a bit harder than humanly possible.”

“Well you just about electrocuted me. You could ‘ave told me that could happen.” Eggsy spouted off.

“I think, perhaps, we should take this conversation to a more private location.” Merlin offered before nudging both Stiles and Eggsy towards the door. With a well-aimed look, the rest of the agents scattered from the training room and where they were originally intended to be. 

They were silent as they followed Merlin towards Harry’s office. The door was propped open when they arrived and Harry was reviewing the footage from the training room. “You held your own Mr. Stilinski.”

Out of everything Harry could start with, that’s what he chose. The man was starting to remind him more and more of Peter Hale. “Thanks. I guess.”

“There should be no guessing.” Harry amended. “If you could hold ground against Eggsy, then it’s safe to say you are quite accomplished in the art of self-defense. Perhaps, you should have training sessions three times a week and your other two open mornings should be dedicated to understanding the abilities you and Eggsy appear to hold.”

Eggsy sat forward in his seat, “Abilities? What are you nattering on about, Harry?”

“The force you exuded once you held the sparring staff was much more than you were able to hold before your _change_.”  Harry helpfully pointed out before focusing on Stiles. “I take it you weren’t able to do what you did before V-Day?”

Stiles hid a smirk behind a well-timed cough, “Uh, no, I was able to. Before V-Day I was considered a Spark.”

Merlin choked on his own breath at the same time Harry asked, “What precisely is a Spark?”

“I don’t know the exact definition of it, not really.” Stiles started to answer by Merlin cut him off. “A Spark has the ability to harness certain kinds of magic and is or can be considered extremely powerful. They are sought after.”

Stiles finished off Merlin’s more precise explanation with his own, “I can just do _things_.”

Eggsy snorted in amusement which turned into full out laughter at Harry’s disgusted look. He quickly gained control of himself once that look was directed towards him. “I would like the two of you to learn the extents of these abilities and more about yourselves. Merlin, make time to analyze the footage of this morning.”

Merlin nodded and they all took that as their cue to head out to the respective areas. Eggsy smirked as Stiles and Merlin walked side-by-side back to their offices and he made a beeline towards the locker room. Stiles waited until Merlin settled in behind his desk before shaking his hands. He had way too much energy to sit down and research. “I think I’m going to head back to the training room.”

“I imagine you’ve too much energy?” Merlin questioned.

Stiles snorted. That was an understatement. “There are ways to work that energy out but the past few years I’ve relied on running it out rather than my much preferred method.”

Merlin spun in his chair towards Stiles and raised a brow. “I’m sure you could find someone to relieve that rush of adrenaline with.”

Stiles felt him his heart stutter in his chest. His mouth grew dry and he couldn’t help the way his eyes lingered on Merlin’s lips, trailing down along the muscle of his thighs.  “Are you volunteering?”

Stiles stood under Merlin’s gaze. It felt as though he were being slowly undressed, one tantalizing sweep of flesh against flesh. He wanted anything and everything that Merlin was offering him. When Merlin stood from his seat and moved so his shoes brushed the scuffed tips of Stiles’ worn shoes, Stiles felt his entire body light with desire. There was no way Merlin couldn’t see the way Stiles wanted him. His whole blushed with it.

 Merlin’s voice had dropped an octave as he leaned in to speak into Stiles’ ear, “Go for your run Stiles.”

 


End file.
